Open Educational Resource Textbooks and Teacher Education: A Descriptive Analysis of Student in Language/Literacy Development Courses

Abstract

This study examines Teacher Education students’ perceptions of Open Education Resources (OER), specifically, textbooks in language/literacy courses. Participants in the study are two-hundred and eleven pre-service teachers and undergraduate students at a university in the western United States that admits 46% first-generation college students. The pre-service teachers completed a pre-survey about OER, studied in language/literacy courses using an Open Textbook (OTB), and completed a post-survey about their use of OER in the courses. Over the past two decades, the advantages and disadvantages of utilizing OER have been explored in research. Yet, there is a lack of research pertaining to language/literacy development courses in Teacher Education programs. Key findings of this study indicate that utilizing OER is new for many of the participants, the OTBs did assist them financially, and though some students chose not to read the text, the perceptions of OER were positive. The conclusion includes possible areas for future study.